Peters



8 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. C.'HILL. Machine for MakingStaples. No. 236,331. Patented Jan. 4,1881.

NPETERS. PHOTO-LITHQGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

3 Sheet-She'et2f 0'. C. HILL. Machine for Making Staples.

No, 236,331, Patented Jan. 4,1881.

- 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. O. 0-. HILL.

Machine for Maki' "Staples. I No. 236,331. tented lan.,4,l8,8 l.

Ilnrrn STATES CHRISTIAN O. HILL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM D. GIBSON, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR MAKING TAPLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,331, dated January 4, 1881.

Application filed February 24, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN G. HILL, of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Making Staples, of which the following is a specification.

Figure l is a plan view of a machine embodying my invention, of which Fig. 2 is an elevation of the driving-wheel end; Fig. 3, an elevation of the side from which the wire is fed to the machine, in which the supportinglegs are broken away. Fig. at is a horizontal section mainly on the plane of the centers of the forming-heads, from which it rises to the center of the guiding-tube and then to the center of the shaft of the upper feed-roll. Fig. 5

is an isometrical representation of the cuttinghead. Fig. 6 is an isometrical representation of the forming and barbing heads, and Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are details of parts to be hereinafter described.

In the figures, A represents a bed-plate, of rectangular form, having a suitable central opening, which is supported at a suitable height on legs or standards B, of any suitable or convenient form. On this bed-plate is mounted a tubular shaft, to, fitted to revolve in a suitable bearing, and parallel to this tubular shaft is mounted a solid shaft, 1), also fitted to revolve in a suitable bearing fixed to the bed-plate. On the one end of these shafts are mounted like toothed spur-gear wheels 0' and D, fitted to revolve with their respective shafts, and their teeth engage each other to cause the shafts to revolve in unison. On the ends of these shafts, opposite the gear-wheels,

are mounted forming-heads E and F, fixed to. These revolve with their respective shafts. forming-heads are fitted at proper intervals with forming-dies c and d. The dies 0 in this instance are placed radially in the forminghead F on the solid shaft, and are fittedwith outward projecting arms on their forward edges, designed to overlap the wire from which the staples are to be formed, and in the rotation'of the head to bend it between suitable arms 0 and f placed on each side of the heads, immediately opposite or near their point of contact. The dies 01 are placed radially in the forming-head E on the tubular shaft, and are fitted on their forward edges with depressions to receive the outward-projecting arms of the dies 0 as the heads are made to revolve. The peripheral faces of these dies, after leaving the projecting arms and the recesses in the opposite dies designed to receive them, are corrugated for the purpose of barbing or corrugating the legs of the staples.

G is a bevel-toothed gear-wheel mounted loosely on the tubular shaft, and made adjustable thereon to change its relative position with the gear-wheel O, to which it is adjustably fixed by means of a clamping screw-bolt, g, which passes through a concentric slot, h, in the Web of the bevel-toothed gear-wheel, and is screw-threaded into the webbing of the spur-gear wheel G insuch a manner that by loosening the screw-bolt the beveled wheel may be turned to the right or left independent of the spur-gear.

By securing the bevel-toothed gear-wheel G loosely on the tubular shaft to which one of the forming-heads is rigidly secured, the cutting-head may be secured in any desired rotary adjustment relative to that of the forming and bending heads, so thatthe wire shall be severed when the forming and bending heads are in anydesired position. Thisindependentadjustment of the bevel-toothed gear-wheel G operates, through the bevel-wheels L and K, to permit the shaft G to be turned in either direction, and thus rotate the cutting-head H independently of the forming and bending heads.

G represents a shaft having its main bearing in the tubular shaft. On a portion of this shaft projecting through the forming-head E is fixed a cutting-head, H, provided with radial cutters i, fitted in radial grooves in the cutter-head, and firmly held therein by means of a disk,j, clamped thereto by means of clamping-bolts It, which pass through the disk and cutter-head. A portion of the shaft G extending through the cutter-head is supported in an overhanging bearing, I, which is fixed to the upper face of the bed-plate, and is made adjustable thereon in the lengthwise direction of the shaft for the purpose of adjusting the cutter-head to or from the formingdiead to vary the length of the staple produced by the machine. The portion of the shaft Gr extending through the overhanging bearing is fitted with a collar, 1, fixed in position thereon to prevent endwise movement of the shaft.

K represents a bevel-toothed gear-wheel,

lOO

which is a duplicate of the bevel-toothed gear-wheel G, and is mounted on the opposite end of the cutter-head shaft from the cutterhead. The gearfaces of these two beveltoothed gear-wheels are placed toward each other and revolve on the same center, and their teeth engage the teeth of a bevel-toothed driving-pinion, L, which, when in motion in the direction of the arrow, will cause the beveled wheels and the several parts mounted on their respective shafts to revolve in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows, and the forming-heads E and 1 will also be made to revolve in opposite directions, as shown by the arrows, by means of the spur-gear connection of their respective shafts.

The shaft of the bevel toothed drivingpinion L is supported to revolve in a bearing fixed to the bed-plate, and its projecting end is fitted with cone-pulleys M, which are connected, by a suitable belt, 111, to a similar cone of pulleys, N, mounted on the projecting end of the shaft of the feeding-roll a. 0 represents a feeding-roll, which is a duplicate of the feedin g-roll at. These feeding-rolls are fitted with annular grooves 12, to receive the wire to be fed to the machine from which to form the staples. The shafts of the feed-rolls n and 0 are placed in the same vertical plane parallel to each other, and are fitted to revolve in bearings fixed to the bed-plate. These shafts are fitted with spur-gear wheels q, the teeth of which engage each other to cause the feed-rolls to revolve in opposite directions in unison.

At 1' is represented a set-screw, which operates against a spring-bearing to regulate the clamping force of the feed-rolls, to properly feed the wire to the machine. This springbearing is represented in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

P represents a guiding-tube, through which the wire is fed to the machine, and is placed on about the same horizontal plane with the feed-rolls and slightly above the point of contact of the l'ormingdies. The delivery end of this tube is beveled to coincide with the beveled edges of the cutters, placed in the cuttinghead in such a manner that the rotations of the cutters, in passing the beveled end of the tube, will sever the wire obliquely to produce points to the legs of the staples. This tube is made adjustable in its support R, and when adjusted is held in position by means of a suitable set-screw employed for the purpose.

The arm f is placed between the guidingtube and the forming-dies in the formingheads, and is held in position in the tube-support by means of set-screws operating upon its shank placed in a groove in the tube-support. By this arrangement this arm is made adjustable to or from the forming-heads. The arm 0 is placed on the opposite side of the forming-heads from the guiding-tube. It is supported in a tool-post rising from the bedplate or shaft-support thereon, and is made adjustable to and from the forming-dies.

From this description it will be seen that the notched or grooved arms give width to the staple, which may be varied by adjusting the arms to or from the dies.

T represents a shedder, fixed to the frame in such relative position with the rotating heads that 'the forming-dies will pass between its forked end and deliver the completed staples from the dies, which will drop through the opening in the bed-plate into a receiver pro vided for their reception.

In use, motion is imparted to the machine to cause the parts to revolve in the directions indicated by the arrows, and the wire from which the staples are to be formed is passed between the feeding'rolls through the guidingtube, between the forming-heads, and over the arms placed on each side thereof; and the revolving cutters will cut the wire where it passes from the beveled portion of the guiding-tube, which oblique cut will give points to its ends, and the portion thus cut from the thread of wire will rest on the forked or grooved arms, and, in the onward movements of the heads, will be centrally caught by the projecting arm of the dies and bent between the arms, and the legs of the staples will be pressed between the corrugated heads of the dies, which will produce in them corrugations or barbs, and in the onward movements of the heads will be carried and be deposited a completed staple.

By means ofthc adjustable guiding-tube, the adjustable cutting-head, and the device for varying speed of the feed-rolls, which in this instance consists in the cones of pulleys, to any of which the belt may be shifted, staples of various lengths, or staples having legs varying in length, may be rapidly formed on my improved machine from a continuous thread of wire taken from the coil or spool, or in any other convenient form.

In this instance I have. employed the cone pulleys and belt as a means of imparting a relatively-varying speed to the feeding-rolls but when greater accuracy in feeding the wire to the machine is required I propose to cmploya train of variable changeable gear-wheels or gearing, operating substantially as the changeable gears of an engine-lathe are employed, to vary the feed relatively with the movements of the lathe.

In the drawings hereto attached, I have represented what I term a single machine, in which but two forming-heads are employed in connection with a cutting-head; but more than two forming-heads may be employed, it desired, in any suitable manner conformable to my invention.

I have represented my improved machine as a machine for the manufacture of blindsstaples, to which purpose I have especially adapted it; but by the employment of suitable dies fence-wire staples or staples forother purposes, chain-links or blanks therefor, or links for spring-beds, barbs for fence-wire, or other articles ot'ring, hook, staple, or loop form maybe rapidly manufactured from wire on my machine by simply adapting theforming-dies Wheels respectively secured to said concentric shafts, and a pinion which meshes with both said gear wheels, substantially as set forth.

3. In a machine for making staples, the combination, with the forming heads, bendingarms, and a stationary cutter, of a cuttenhead mounted upon a shaft concentric with the shaft of one of the forming-heads, and an adjustable bevel-gear wheel for varying the relative rotary adjustment of the cutter and forming-heads, substantially as set forth.

CHRISTIAN" O. HILL.

Witnesses:

J OHN H. OHLENKING, 'l. J. MCGUIRE. 

